Now, Bougon is back in the headlines after penning a great essay on the Huffington Post titled “Curvy Girls Love Sexy Lingerie, Too – These Brands Are Making It Possible.” In her essay, Bougon called 2014 the year of the sexy curvy girl and mentioned some of her favorite plus-size lingerie brands like Shirley of Hollywood, Pink Lipstick Lingerie, Fantasy Lingerie, the Canada-based Coquette, and Kixies Thigh Highs, among others.

A lot of plus-size lingerie tend to follow a retro, vintage aesthetic, which is cool, but plus-size women deserve more options!

So, it’s freezing outside. Actually, literally freezing. In Chicago this week we hit record low temperatures, with the forecast dropping to negative 18 degrees before the wind chill. On the bright side, however, it’s been deceptively sunny. So when I stepped outside to take these pictures I got to soak up some much needed vitamin D. Luckily, the IGIGI Genevieve Plus-Size Dress pairs well with my leather jacket and it gave me some protection from the icy air when I wore it out to dinner with friends.

The IGIGI Genevieve Plus-Size Dress is a really stretchy jersey material, so it has good natural cling and it is incredibly comfortable, especially for a cocktail dress.

The IGIGI Genevieve Plus-Size Dress (which is on supersale right now!) is a faux wrap dress with gorgeous sequin details to add some sparkle to this fantastic little black dress. It’s quite curve hugging as well and there is strategic ruching on the sides to camouflage any problem areas.

Natashia Judge, 23, is originally from Wales, but has been living in Gloucester, England for the last several years. She works as a medical secretary and her passions are photography, fashion, home interiors, swimming, and board games. She is also a fantastic plus-size fashion blogger and has a degree in photography. She loves taking the time to shoot her OotD‘s to post on her blog “Tea For Tash,” since it combines her love of photography and fashion. Plus, taking selfies is always fun.

She finds fashion inspiration on Tumblr and from simply people-watching, since you can pick up on so many trends just from watching people walk down the street.

Natashia took the time to talk with IGIGI about being unafraid to stand out as a plus-size woman and how to pull off any look with confidence.

People are self-conscious about being photographed. It’s a pretty common, well-known fact. Whenever a camera comes out, whether it’s at a party, a wedding, or just a quick snapshot on the street, people automatically try to “fix” themselves. Hairs are brushed away, backs are straightened, and smiles instantly appear – a certain, disingenuous mask falls over the scene.

Now, I’m a plus-size fashion blogger, a college student, and a millennial, so I am quite used to having many, many photographs taken of me in my everyday life. I’m almost hyper-aware of my “good” angles and I’m always so concerned about where those photos will be going since I like to have total editorial power over my shots. Honestly, that might be why I like selfies so much, since I get to have the final say in how I’m depicted.

I’m probably a little bit of a control freak, but I’m really not alone in my photo-phobia. Many people tend to be sensitive about what images of themselves are taken and then often shared on various social media. I have a photography professor who finds the frequent query of “Where is this photo going to be shown?” to be one of the funnier questions of the modern era, since that is a question that was almost never asked of street photographers 20 years ago.

One of the photos from Riggs’ series. The text reads: “Old fat me, p.s. hide this please” Credit: Ransom Riggs

There is currently quite a lot of debate circulating around the Internet right now about what constitutes plus-size. A good deal of this discussion is related to whether or not a lot of plus-size models are considered plus-size. A few weeks ago, we even covered this issue to some extent on the blog.

There is also a distinct dichotomy between what is considered plus-size in the fashion world and what is considered plus-size in the real world. Two very successful plus-size models – Crystal Renn and Leah Kelley – have both spoken about how arbitrary they find the plus-size label since in the fashion world, plus-size really just means above a US size 8.

A shot of plus-size model Leah Kelley from her Instagram. Credit: Instagram/@LeahKelley

IGIGI specializes in sexy plus-size apparel for women with an emphasis on high-end formal wear, wedding gowns, and separates. We honor diversity in beauty and challenge the rigidity of the fashion world by celebrating the sensuality and confidence of a curvy woman. The IGIGI woman embodies femininity and courage as an individual with a true sense of style and ownership. Beauty. Authentic.